By Stephan Schulze
I regularly talk to dozens of tech leads in our portfolio companies, and lately, the hottest topic is obviously the global VC cooldown and the difficulty of raising money.
One common conclusion emerges from these conversations: Companies are pausing their experiments to concentrate on what’s really meaningful for their business.
You could say that instead of panicking, most people react by “making lemonade”: They realize that these new circumstances can actually be an opportunity! Companies become more conscious of what to build and invest in, raise the bar when hiring people, do some financial housekeeping, and rethink their ongoing costs.
A typical drawback of having plenty of (VC) money is that startups are tempted to invest it in too many things simultaneously, which often leads them to lose focus.
So from this perspective, these new circumstances — as difficult as they may be — are the perfect moment to correct course, shake off the bad habits, and create a sustainable, healthy foundation for the next growth phase.
Check my LinkedIn post for more community insights, and share your take.